Jeanette Perez-Feliciano is the Spanish and Latinos in Action teacher at WSHS. One reason she chose to teach was that at a young age she felt like she had an ability to connect with people. When Perez-Feliciano was growing up, she looked up to several of her teachers who she described as amazing educators. However, teaching actually was not her first career choice. Perez-Felicaiano went to school for cosmetology. She found out that this career wasn’t the right path for her and decided to teach at WSHS, then that led to where she is now. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing the satisfaction her students express when they are able to do something they thought they couldn’t. She loves to see when students believe in themselves. As many people know, Perez-Feliciano sponsors the Latinos in Action organization at WSHS. Perez-Feliciano said that “the class gives hispanics a source of empowerment and community.”

In her spare time, Ms. Perez-Feliciano loves to dance and sing. She is very caring, she loves to be around her students, and she feels that she is a mama bear. She has one biological daughter and three step-daughters. Plus of course the 200+ school kids she has at WSHS.

Before teaching her parents dream was to own a restaurant but when they got sick Perez-Feliciano put her whole life on hold and focused on sustaining the restaurant for a couple years. She eventually sold the restaurant to her cousins and then went back to school. 

Perez-Feliciano’s favorite moment this year was when she read an essay that one of her students wrote in hopes of winning a scholarship. The student had written about how Perez-Feliciano’s guidance in class helped her grow confidence and a voice. She started to do things she thought that she would never do because Perez-Feliciano believed in her. When Perez-Feliciano read this she teared up. Changing lives for the better is what Jeanette Perez-Feliciano does best.